The concept of a method and apparatus for conditioning gas for medical procedures is more fully shown and described in Ott et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,068,609. Briefly, a humidification device or hydrator is attached to a medical apparatus that is adapted to receive an insufflation gas for delivery into the body of the patient. One portion of the apparatus includes a heater/hydrator that delivers humidified gas to a body cavity. The heater/hydrator is filled with a hydration liquid through a charging port. When an insufflation gas flows therethrough the heater/hydrator the gas is humidified and heated to the proper insufflation conditions.
In contrast, the present invention provides a charged hydrator that can be quickly attached to the insufflation apparatus at the time a medical procedure is about to begin without the need to charge the hydrator. As the hydrator is charged prior to the medical procedure one is ensured that the proper amount of hydration liquid as well as a fresh supply of hydration liquid is available for use in the medical procedure prior to initiation of the medical procedure. In addition, the use of a charged hydrator that can be quickly mounted to the insufflation apparatus allows one to quickly select hydrators with different hydration materials to accommodate different hydration requirements. For example, one can first select a hydration liquid that can include drugs or the like and then change the hydrator liquid to one that does not include drugs by changing the hydrator.
A further advantage of a charged hydrator is that at the time of surgery one can eliminate the steps of loading a syringe and then inserting the syringe into a charging port to add the hydration liquid to charge the hydrator since the hydration device of the present invention carries the needed hydration liquid in a ready-to-use condition and once attached can immediately humidify a gas flowing through the hydrator. A further advantage is that with the use of a charged hydrator one can select or increase the amount of initial charge of hydration liquid available for use during surgery. That is, if the surgery lasts longer than expected and more hydration liquid is needed one does not need to charge the hydrator during the surgery. Instead, the spent hydration device, which is connected to the insufflation apparatus, is quickly removed from the insufflation apparatus and a fresh hydration device is attached to the insufflation apparatus providing a virtual seamless supply of humidified gas to the patient undergoing surgery.